National
Saving wetlands is saving humanity: Minister (February 2 is World Wetlands Day)
New Delhi, Feb 2 (IANS) Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday marked ‘World Wetlands Day’ here, saying saving wetlands — marshes, swamps, bogs and large or small lakes and ponds — will help save humanity.
Severely under counted and a regular victim of encroachment and rapid urbanisation, the wetlands, according to the key United Nations finding, are being lost more rapidly than any other kind of ecosystem.
“They serve as a source of drinking water, reduce flooding and the vegetation of wetlands filters domestic and industrial waste and improves water quality. Save them, save humanity,” the Minister said while appealing to people to develop a strong movement for “green good deeds” in the country.
World Wetlands Day is observed on February 2 each year to mark the day the Convention on Wetlands was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971.
For 2018, the central and state governments of Assam collaborated to mark the occasion at Deepor Beel, a “Ramsar site” in Guwahati.
According to National Disaster Management Authority, over 12 per cent of land in India is prone to floods and river erosion. Wetlands in India account for 4.7 per cent of the total geographical area.
“I think this is our Green Social Responsibility towards the society and the nation and of course for this whole planet,” the Minister said here.
However, the wetlands remain undercounted, even as Union Environment Ministry in September 2017 notified new Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, to prohibit dumping of industrial waste, effluents and related environmentally harmful activities. The new norms also make states responsible for conservation.
On Friday, the Ministry said it is assisting states to conserve state recognised 140 wetlands.
Ironically, according to the records of May 2016, the central government under its National Wetland Conservation Programme (NWCP), only identified 115 wetlands across 24 states and two union territories.
Experts say that wetlands are crucial to stop or minimise the effect of disaster like floods and cyclones.
A recent report specifically cited the 2015 Chennai floods in Tamil Nadu, and pointed how the natural sinks like wetlands, that act as a sponge against floods, had shrunk due to rapid urbanisation, leading to catastrophic results.
“Estimates put the remaining original wetlands of Chennai at just 10 per cent,” said the report by NGO SEEDS and Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) based in the University of Louvain School of Public Health, Brussels.
According to Faiyaz A. Khudsar, scientist in-charge of Yamuna Biodiversity, there used to be over 400 wetlands in Delhi, there are now only a handful left.
“They are priced land, not wasteland where garbage and sewer can be dumped,” Khudsar said in context of how wetlands are seen in the urban sphere.
Another report from Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage pointed out that while there is no clarity on the present number of wetlands in Delhi and NCR, over 21 lakes and several ponds had disappeared from the map of the national capital due to encroachment, mostly by real estate.
The central government has proposed Rs 66 crore for conservation of aquatic ecosystem under the Union Budget 2018-19 presented on Thursday. Under the last budget the funds proposed was Rs 60 crore, however of this only Rs 56 crore could be utilised.
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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